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  • Celebrating Black Athletes

    Isabelle Ringer
    Feb 20, 2019
    Comments Off on Celebrating Black Athletes

    In honor of Black History month, Derby United wanted to recognize a very special person in the early roller derby community along with members of our league that make it more diverse. We have come a long way in cultural diversity as a nation but there is still a lot of work to be done. Roller derby is an amazing progressive community and a safe space for all. We strive everyday to better this system and teach others to be confident, open minded, and unafraid to be who they are.

    Darene Andersen was the first woman of color to play roller derby. She started in Pasadena in 1957, taking up roller skating after her parents would not let her play baseball or football because it was too rough (and, of course, because she was a lady). Andersen hid her weekly attendance to roller derby bouts as well as her love for roller skating from her parents. Instead, they thought she was taking ice skating lessons. At first, roller skating was simply a hobby, but after attending time trials for the local roller derby team at the Olympic Auditorium, she proved she had what it took to be a star.  With her parents’ approval, her career began. At age 19, he earned “Rookie of the Year” in 1958 with her first team, the Brooklyn Red Devils. She went on to play for high level teams all across the country. She skated for the Hawaii All Stars, San Francisco Bay Bombers, New York Chiefs, Los Angeles Braves, and many other roller derby teams. When she retired from derby, she became first black woman on the west coast to become a Pari-Mutuels Clerk with the Southern California Racing Association.

    I asked our black skaters how culture correlates with their lives in roller derby and here’s what they had to say:

    Aleese the Kraken, SoCal Derby

    “Strong women as role models are a very important and sometimes misunderstood aspect of my culture. In roller derby, I am encouraged to embrace the strength I see in myself and all of the women around me. There have been very few black women/men that I’ve skated with in the 3 years I’ve been playing, but it helps having groups like the Black Roller Derby Network. My favorite/most positive part of roller derby are the friendships, even if they don’t always last after derby. I’ve made some meaningful connections that I would have probably not otherwise made in my adult life.”

    Cheap Trick, San Diego Derby United and SoCal Derby

    “I have been playing roller derby for 6 years and started playing when I was 45 years old! Roller skating has long been a huge part of the black community. My dad was an awesome skater! I learned at a really young age. As a matter of fact my first pair of skates had metal wheels. Since I did learn to skate so early in life, I think it made the transition into roller derby much easier for me. I’m a very competitive person. Roller derby allows me to channel that energy mentally and physically.  I feel a great deal of love and support from my league and the entire roller derby community. I have so many wonderful friends because of derby. I feel so fortunate to have found the sport and the amazing league I am part of.”

    Hannibal Lexter, SoCal Derby

    “Culture has influenced my time in roller derby because as a person of color who has studied the African American experience throughout history I find that I have been more vocal about the plights of other minority communities in our sport. I want to defend those who feel persecuted for being who they are. I want to fight for the inclusion of everyone. There is a place for everyone in derby. A barrier I am trying to overcome is that I find it hard to hit others. Not because I am not strong enough or don’t know how, I just don’t want to be seen as another ‘aggressive black woman’ and be judged more harshly. I am slowly overcoming this. I keep coming back because the amazing people I have had the pleasure to skate with have made me feel welcome, strong and gave me a sense of belonging.  Everyone is so encouraging and I leave every practice and bout with a smile on my face. Can’t say that about my gym workouts.”

    Contributing Writer: Nicci Two Skates
    Feature Photo: Tristan King
    Cheap Trick Photo: Clarence Alford

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Derby United is committed to the creation of an empowering, athletic environment while enriching the lives of our members and community through the sport of roller derby.

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  • Brat is a recent transfer to San Diego from the Tallahassee Rollergirls. The folks at Derby United and SoCal Derby are very lucky she chose to make our programs her new derby home. She brings a wealth of talent and knowledge that come with her 9 years of roller derby experience. Brat plays derby with every team she is given an opportunity, bouting with the Cuttlefish, Kraken and most recently on the banked track with the Sparks.
She is a dream pivot who excels at offense and defense. Brat is a skater who always pushes her teammates to show up and try new things because derby should be challenging but still fun.  Now an integral part of the Kraken charter, she is a quiet force who knows how to stay calm under pressure. When she isn’t killing it on the track, derby fans can catch her learning new skills at the skate park or petting every dog she comes across. She is one rad human and every pack is made better with her in it.
Congratulations to the December Member of the Month, Brat!
Contributing Writer: Hannibal Lexter 
Photo: Tristan King Photography
  • Yesterday, several of our members gathered together to spend four and a half hours sorting, packing, loading and unloading over 500 pairs of rental skates from Skate San Diego! A huge thanks to all our heavy lifters that day and a bigger thanks to Joe Norris for allowing us to be able to invite the public to some special events in the future!
  • It was bittersweet today as we worked alongside Joe Norris for one of last times at Skate San Diego. Joe is a fixture in San Diego skate community, truly a local treasure. He is a wealth of knowledge and always happy to share a story of the history of the skate scene here in San Diego. We are lucky to have worked with him and to call him a friend.  We cannot duplicate what he has created but we hope to make a fraction of the impact that he has had on the local skate community and carry the torch for the next generation as Skate San Diego closes.
  • Excuse the tryptophan! November’s Member of the Month is Hannibal Lextor!🎉 Hannibal Lexter, is truly one of a kind - as a skater, a supporter, and a friend. 
Coming to us from Monterey Bay and now skating on the Socal Cuttlefish and Derby United Sparks. All of her teammates can attest to her dedication, positive attitude, and willingness to try anything. In short, being on the track with her is amazing.  Lex pushes herself and others to be the absolute best they can be which is an invaluable trait when learning the complexities of this amazing sport and community we are all a part of. 
She is strong, kind, determined, reliable, and an incredibly hard worker. Lex unfortunately suffered from some health issues, but you could never call them "set-backs" in Lex's case - weeks after being in the hospital found Lex out and supporting her teams and league. She helped pull weeds at our new facility, she sanded benches for our new track, and is calling local businesses to ask about fundraising. The Kraken had a great experience while travelling to a tournament in Oregon helped in no small part by Lex's skill in bench coaching!

Photo: Tristan King
  • Today, we are thankful to every single person, skater, member, friend, family, and volunteer that has helped Derby United make a dream become a reality. It has taken us long and it has taken many to get where we are and we are truly thankful to every one of them! #onwardandupward #dirttoderby #thankful
  • On this Trans Day of Remembrance, we are taking a moment to mourn the murders and celebrate the lives of the 311 trans lives we’ve lost this year. We will not stand for trans bigotry and violence, and we stand united behind the trans community. 
We must do better. We must work every day to ensure safety for trans and gender non-confirming lives and create a space of inclusion, empowerment, and love. To those we’ve lost - rest in power. To those still here - we stand and fight with you. 
Resources and information regarding the LGBT community and how you can be an ally can be found at @lgbtcenter and @trevorproject. Supporting the queer skating community starts with following @queerskatealliance and @bipocwhoskate.

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Copyright © 2019 by Roller Derby 360 LLC dba Derby United. Pending Trademark. All rights reserved. Background photo by JCM Photo. Slider Photos: Tristan King.
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